Olivier Rioux, the world's tallest teenager at 7ft 9in, scored his first collegiate field goal with a dunk during Florida's 102-61 victory over Saint Francis on Wednesday night. The 19-year-old redshirt freshman from Canada caught a bounce pass from CJ Ingram and slammed it home, sending the Gators' bench and home crowd into a frenzy.
Coach Todd Golden praised the moment, saying, 'Pretty special, man. The transition, his vertical. Woo. He was up there, man.' Fans chanted 'We want Ollie' with over six minutes left, and Golden inserted Rioux at the two-minute mark to a loud ovation. Rioux delivered with a hard foul on defence and the impressive dunk.
Teammate Xaivian Lee, who led the team with 18 points, said, 'We were just going crazy.' Alex Condon, who added 14 points, seven rebounds, five assists and three blocks, quipped, 'Good pass from CJ.' Rioux became the tallest person to play college basketball in November, but this was his first clear display of his offensive potential.
Rioux is two inches taller than former NBA giants Gheorghe Mureșan and Manute Bol. He chose to redshirt last season to work on his game, and Golden has said he will only play in blowouts due to the depth of Florida's frontcourt.
